Gosaikunda Trek
Also known as Gosainkunda Lake Trek.
Gosaikunda Trek is a moderate 5-7-day teahouse trek in the Langtang region of Nepal, reaching 4,380 m. It starts at Dhunche and ends at Dhunche.
Key facts
- Region
- Langtang (Rasuwa, Nuwakot)
- Duration
- 5-7 days, 4-6 hours walking per day
- Distance
- 43 km
- Maximum altitude
- 4,380 m
- Difficulty
- Moderate — Short trek but with a very fast altitude profile: Dhunche (2030m) to sleeping at Gosaikunda (4380m) in as little as 3 days, giving real AMS risk. Trails are steep but well made and teahouses are regular; the optional Lauribina La crossing (4610m) adds exposure to weather and a long high day.
- Trek type
- Teahouse, out-and-back route
- Best season
- Autumn (Oct-mid Nov) and Spring (mid Mar-Apr)
- Guide
- Not mandatory
- Restricted area
- No
- Budget cost
- NPR 25,000–38,000
- Comfortable cost
- NPR 38,000–55,000
- Guided cost
- NPR 56,000–77,000
- Getting there
- Kathmandu (Machhapokhari) → Trishuli → Betrawati → Dhunche on the Pasang Lhamu Highway (local bus 7-9h, jeep 5-6h) → trail starts from Dhunche bazaar
- Altitude sickness
- High relative to trek length — sleeping altitude rises from 2030m to 4380m in 3 days on the standard itinerary, and many trekkers feel AMS at Lauribina or the lake.
Weather
The lakes freeze and the upper trail is often snowbound Dec-Mar; crossing Lauribina La in winter can require microspikes. Monsoon is wet with poor views, though the Janai Purnima full-moon festival (Jul/Aug) draws thousands of Hindu and Buddhist pilgrims to the holy lakes. Clearest skies mid-Oct to mid-Nov.
Permits
- Langtang National Park entry — NPR 3,000 for foreigners. Where to get it: Nepal Tourism Board Kathmandu or Dhunche checkpost
- TIMS card — NPR 2,000 for foreigners. Where to get it: Through a registered trekking agency
Itinerary
- Day 1: Kathmandu to Dhunche, 0 h, 2,030 m — Trishuli river valley, entry into Rasuwa district and Langtang NP
- Day 2: Dhunche to Sing Gompa (Chandanbari), 5-6 h, 3,250 m — Steep climb through oak, fir and rhododendron forest via Deurali; Sing Gompa monastery and yak cheese factory
- Day 3: Sing Gompa to Lauribina, 3-4 h, 3,910 m — Cholangpati (3580m), treeline transition, huge sunset panorama of Ganesh Himal, Manaslu and Annapurna ranges
- Day 4: Lauribina to Gosaikunda, 3-4 h, 4,380 m — Buddha statue viewpoint, first sight of Saraswati and Bhairav Kund, arrival at the holy Gosaikunda lake (4380m) — Shiva shrine, 108-lakes basin; afternoon lake circuit
- Day 5: Gosaikunda to Dhunche, 6-7 h, 2,030 m — Long descent past Lauribina and Sing Gompa retracing the ascent route
- Day 6: Dhunche to Kathmandu, 0 h, 1,400 m — Return drive along the Trishuli valley